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US withdrawal from climate treaty is ‘colossal own goal’, says UN climate chief

By Thomson Reuters Jan 8, 2026 | 7:58 AM

LONDON, Jan 8 (Reuters) – The United States’ decision to withdraw ‍from the U.N.’s key climate treaty is a “colossal own goal” that will harm the ‌U.S. economy, jobs ‌and living standards, United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell said on Thursday.

“While all ​other nations are stepping forward ‍together, this ​latest step back ​from global leadership, climate ‍cooperation and science can only harm the U.S. economy, jobs and living standards, as ‍wildfires, floods, mega-storms and droughts get rapidly worse,” ‍Stiell ‍said in a ​statement.

“It is a ​colossal ⁠own goal which ‌will leave the U.S. less secure and less prosperous.”

(Reporting by William James; Editing by Andrew ⁠Heavens)